There is no guidebook to what entails a Hall of Famer or a manual defining its criteria. Most of us vote based on our own vision of what the Hall of Fame is or should be, which, in reality, means we really don't know what the Hall is supposed to be, which is a fascinating part of what goes into each ballot.
More»Hot Stove on first-year candidates for Hall of Fame

What we witnessed was a decline in activity in the Winter Meetings, as well as the impact of the new Draft system. Now we will wait to see where Zack Greinke and Josh Hamilton go, and how much their wakes impact the players waiting behind them.
More»MLB Network ranks best and worst of Winter Meetings

Mike Trout and Bryce Harper had expectations that preceded them. They met them in terms of performance, but they exceeded them in the way they played. In this age of analytics, we sometimes overlook what it means to play the way Pete Rose and George Brett played, the way Darin Erstad and Derek Jeter and Grady Sizemore have played.
More» Trout goes 4-for-5 with three RBIs in win

No one in Detroit seemed happier to have the World Series home than Willie Horton. He recalled how he grew up blocks away from the old Tiger Stadium, which is only blocks from Comerica Park, and how as a child he rode his bike around what is now the new Tigers home on his paper route.
More»Willie Horton discusses his career with Peter Gammons

For 11 games in October, no one played the three-dimensional game better than the Giants, and now that it's been two times in three years, they should be admired, respected and lauded for doing what they do and doing it right.
More» Sabean praises Bochy's leadership

In the end, it came down to relationships. The Red Sox liked what Brad Ausmus had to offer, but John Farrell is as intermingled with the team's culture as Mike Matheny is for the Cardinals.
More»John Farrell is named new Red Sox manager

The Cardinals flew back to San Francisco as Friday night morphed into Saturday morning, without their fourth National League pennant in nine years and still seeking their third World Series championship in seven seasons. But this team, that is deep into October without Tony La Russa, Albert Pujols, Lance Berkman or Rafael Furcal, once again showed the baseball world that the culture that is the Cardinal tradition withstands exiles and injuries.
More» Cardinals on loss to Giants